SerpApi.Org
President Trump is posting the strongest within-party approval of any president this century, according to CNN.
CNN’s numbers show Trump, who sparked outrage with comments today about soldiers killed by Iran, at 83% approval among Republicans — topping both Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Bush is shown at 78%. Obama is shown with 76% approval.
That stands out given polling from less than a week ago that pointed to softness with independents on the economy. A PolitixPlus survey found independent voters now prefer former President Joe Biden’s economy to Trump’s. The poll also found Democrats and Republicans were split 50/50 on which leader has a better handle on economic policy. It comes after a former Trump staffer revealed his 4 chilling predictions for what the president will do next.
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Among independents specifically, PolitixPlus reported 59% preferred the economy under Biden, while 41% said they preferred Trump.
Along similar lines, a new AP-NORC analysis suggests independents have grown more dissatisfied with Trump during his second term — especially those without a college degree. With more Americans identifying as independents and that group helping fuel Trump’s 2024 gains, any erosion could create headaches for Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterms, which often serve as a referendum on the party in power.
AP-NORC also notes Trump’s standing has slipped among some smaller but politically significant groups that moved toward him in 2024, including Black and Hispanic independents.
Meanwhile, a separate YouGov poll asked Americans to choose the single word that best describes Trump. In that survey, 52% picked “dangerous,” while 49% chose “corrupt.” Another 45% described him as a “racist,” and many also called him “out-of-touch.”
Still, YouGov found some positive descriptors as well — largely driven by Republican respondents. In the poll, 45% used “honest,” 40% chose “inspiring,” and 38% described Trump as “intelligent.”
The YouGov snapshot comes as Trump’s approval rating continues to slide. His net approval in the latest survey was negative 24%, lower than where he stood at the same point in his first term and lower than former President Joe Biden’s net approval at the comparable point in Biden’s term.
Trump’s second term has also been dogged by controversy, including criticism around the pace of the Epstein files release, fallout from his immigration crackdown and ICE tactics, and an unpopular war with Iran that has been tied to higher costs of living in the U.S. and beyond.
On immigration, 54% of Americans said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue, compared with 39% who approve, the poll found. On race relations, 54% disapproved and 32% approved.
Crime was a relative bright spot: 49% disapproved of Trump’s handling of it, versus 41% who approved — a slightly stronger showing than on other issues.
Trump has been quick to highlight that point. Last week, as he urged the Senate to confirm Todd Blanche as U.S. attorney general, he posted on Truth Social: “Under Todd’s incredible leadership at DOJ, Murder is down to the LOWEST level since 1900, and we just saw the biggest one year drop in RECORDED HISTORY.”
Available records do back up the claim about the scale of the decline: homicides in major U.S. cities fell by more than 20% in 2025, following sizable drops in 2023 and 2024 — the largest single-year percentage decrease on record in the U.S.
